


Nights

by Fourthlinewinger



Series: Morning & Night [2]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Chirping, Fluff, M/M, sleepytime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 23:12:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13937457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fourthlinewinger/pseuds/Fourthlinewinger
Summary: By 11 Kuzy was always listing, against a wall or a couch or Snarls, half asleep and tired enough not to care. Tonight, though, Kuzy draped himself over Mojo’s shoulder and sighed against his neck.It was new. Mojo found he liked it.





	Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [Erin Katz](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinKatz/pseuds/ErinKatz) for betaing and always making my work better. You're amazing!!!
> 
> It turns out I'm still in denial about Marcus Johansson. Who knew?*
> 
> *everyone who has ever had a conversation with me, that's who

Once or twice a year Ovi would walk into the locker room and announce that the entire team was due at his place that night. Everyone would bitch and grumble, but without fail, they would all troop over to his house for an evening of drinking and excessively Russian entertainment. He claimed it was for team bonding, and he wasn’t wrong: bonds did form, though they were usually the of the _we all survived until morning_ kind.

Jojo had a pet theory that it was actually Nicke’s way of testing the rookies, with a little hazing thrown in, and _rookies_ meaning anyone new to the team, not just to the league. Nicky always perked up and started hovering when Ovi started bullshitting about drinking customs, and he appeared less worried about traumatizing innocent newbies and more intrigued with seeing if any of them would break in the face of … whatever Ovi was actually doing when he claimed to be dancing.

Between the freely flowing caffeine and alcohol and bright beat of terrible techno, the party would go on all night. Jojo was pretty sure that was the other half of the point of these nights, to see who was going to conk out in a corner or a bathtub, and who was rational enough to take an Uber home by 3 or 4. If you went home, you avoided cleanup the next day, but you also missed Ovi’s homemade eggs in the morning. It was like a quick and easy personality test: the ones that stayed up all night ended up with Nicke’s concerned attention at inopportune moments, while Brooksie thought the ones that left early were _reasonable_ and therefore would be receptive to his particular brand of mentoring, kale diet tips and all.

Kuzy was one of the ones to duck out early: he was always listing by 11, slumped against a wall or a couch or Snarls, half asleep and tired enough not to care that someone always went after him with a sharpie before he made it to his cab. Sometimes the pictures that ended up decorating his cheeks and forehead were benign— once, Tommy had drawn a unicorn with more talent that anyone had expected from him— but usually, it was an uninspired collection of dicks and curse words and lightning bolts. It was, on the whole, harmless fun, except for the hour or so Kuzy spent scrubbing in the bathroom the next day.

Jojo, of course, had his own traditions for Ovi’s team bonding nights, focused on letting the last batch of kids (mostly Burky) not feel like they had been forgotten or were less important now that shiny new teammates were hanging around. Tying shoelaces together was an oldie, but a goodie. And there were always ways to embarrass Burky with condoms. Tommy was never, ever going to live down his three-for-one catsup deal. At least, not as long as Tommy kept getting Jojo drunk enough to dance to _Dancing Queen_ and sending the footage to his father. Papa enjoyed the videos, but Jojo wasn’t on his dance level, and he knew it. So did the rest of the team.

Jojo was talking to Nicke and waiting for a chance to pick Burky’s phone from his pocket when he felt warmth and weight against his back. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled involuntarily, all thoughts of iron, par, and Burky’s current password vanishing.

Kuzy hadn’t curled up on the couch beside Snarls with a half-mumbled command to keep the rest of the team away from him, not tonight. Tonight, Kuzy had draped himself over Jojo’s shoulder and sighed against his neck. It was still new, the way Kuzy reached for him in public as well as private. It was still embarrassingly wonderful.

Jojo put his hand on Kuzy’s short hair. “Have you considered coffee?” To his own ears, his voice was mortifying, thick and slow with tenderness, not a chirp so much as an endearment. He could feel everyone in the room looking at them, Burky’s giggle and Tommy’s wide eyes noticeable even through the fog of Kuzy’s affection. Jojo flushed and turned to face Kuzy instead of the open amusement on Nicke’s face.

Kuzy allowed the move only so he could step into Jojo’s arms, his eyes sliding shut as he relaxed. He mumbled something incomprehensible as Jojo helplessly tightened his grip, steadying them both against the curious attention of the room. If it was new for Kuzy and Jojo, it was newer still for the team, still something to poke and prod and tease on the way to understanding.

Jojo’s fingers twisted in Kuzy’s shirt, and the flush on his cheeks spread down his neck and chest. He didn’t need to see Nicke standing behind them to know Nicke was tipsy and snickering.

It was Tommy, though, who gleefully shattered any hope of getting out of this with dignity and wallet intact. “Get a room, you two!” He was drunk and sprawled upside down off the edge of the couch, his hair breaking free from its gel to feather under him. He pointed at Kuzy and Jojo. “And put fifty bucks in the PDA jar for making people sad they don’t have a … a .. snuggle … the thing that you’re doing!”

The PDA jar had been a Nicky-and-Ovi thing, originally. The last couple weeks, it was also a Kuzy-and-Jojo thing.

“It’s my house,” Kuzy sleepily informed everyone, his words barely intelligible from where they were muffled in Jojo’s neck. He peeked up at Jojo. “All the rooms are mine. No money needed.”

“It’s Ovi’s house,” Jojo reminded him. Kuzy didn’t drink, but after 11, you’d never be able to tell. 

“Exactly,” Kuzy said, like it was some indisputable argument, and closed his eyes.

“Twenty more for the stupid look on your face!” Burky threw his empty beer can at Jojo’s head.

Kuzy batted it out of the air. “Don’t be a hater.” He pressed a kiss to the corner of Jojo’s jaw.

Jojo felt the heat of the kiss meet the heat of his furious blush and explode across his face. He flashed a venomous finger at Tommy’s dramatic, “ _That’s one hundred dollars!_ ”

“Where’s your wallet?” Burky demanded. “Nicky! Kuzy and Jojo owe us money!”

“And that’s our cue to leave.” Jojo walked Kuzy backward away from their shenanigans, and any more fines.

Nicke smiled, lopsided and evil. “It’s definitely double fines to head home early.” He looked around the room. “Ovi! Jojo is trying to head out!”

“I hate everything about you,” Jojo told Nicke pleasantly in Swedish.

Ovi bounded into the room, clearly crestfallen. “Jojo! You not having fun?” He looked around at everyone, sizing up the company. “You are in the worst room, maybe you come sit with me and Dima, then you won’t want to leave.” He blinked when he saw Kuzy wrapped around Jojo. “Perfect, Kuzya can translate for you!”

“We are not the worst room!” Tommy sat up, or tried to: he collapsed in a tumbled heap on the floor and scrambled unsteadily onto his side.

Nicke was frowning balefully at Ovi.

“They owe money in the PDA jar,” Burky announced, unphased.

“You should come watch Russian television, too, Backy, you can pretend to translate for Osh-babe,” Ovi coaxed, ignoring Burky. He clicked his tongue in the space where his tooth wasn’t and held out his hand toward Nicke. Nicke was clearly tempted, biting his lip and furrowing his brow as he hesitated to take Ovi’s hand.

Jojo took the opportunity to edge himself and Kuzy out of the room and into the hall that lead to the foyer. Getting Nicky and Ovi to also have to pay the PDA jar wasn’t worth missing out on being able to sneak out early.

“What do you have to drink?” Nicke bargained, as Jojo got them into the hall and around a corner. He breathed a sigh of relief while Kuzy laughed at him. In the background, he could hear Ovi and Nicke continuing to talk.

“We really don’t have to leave,” Kuzy offered, standing straight up and taking Jojo’s hand. He yawned hugely and rubbed his eyes. “We can stay until you trick Burky and Tommy into the mustard drinking contest.” He shook his head as if to clear away the exhaustion that hung over him.

“I already switched their keys out,” Jojo admitted, squeezing Kuzy’s hand and continuing to head toward the door.. “And, anyway, I’d rather go home with you.”

“I’m pretty sure that fifty more dollars for the PDA jar,” Kuzy mused, but he was beaming through his yawns as he followed Jojo outside and home.


End file.
